News

BLOUNTSTOWN­­---Youth met experience Tuesday in Blountstown when a trio of active and retired Navy SEALS (Sea, Air, Land) spoke to students in the auditorium at Blountstown High School during 5th period.

Some 250 high-school students from Blountstown and neighboring Altha and Bristol were in attendance for the 45-minute presentation which included a pull-up-bar (Do 20 and you get a free Navy SEAL T-shirt), a gear display where students could try on body armor and a five-minute promotional video. The event was the brainchild of Adam Faurot, CEO of Titus Sports Academy in Tallahassee.

For Faurot, a Blountstown native and former Florida State and professional baseball player, the connection between the playing field and the battlefield is a natural one. “Whether you’re talking about Olympians, professional athletes or Navy Seals, the goal is the same. Being around the best inspires you to be the best and that’s why we did this,” Faurot said.

The auditorium, which was only half-full, was quiet as Mike Getka, a retired SEAL with 21-years of special operations experience, began to speak, “How many future SEALS do we have here?” Two hands came up.
Getka seemed to expect the hesitant response. “When people think of SEALS they think of big strong guys made of twisted steel. We’re here to dispel some myths and make people more aware of who we are and what we do,” he said.

The film was short, more of a vignette, and highlighted some of the more exciting elements of a career as a Navy SEAL: fast roping from helicopters, night diving, camouflaged faces and high altitude airborne jumps.
“Now how many want to be SEALS,” Getka asked. A dozen more hands came up and from then on the tempo picked up.
Students came down, first in ones and twos to handle military equipment or to test their strength on the pull-up-bar. Some, like Joseph Sapp, an 18-year old senior at Blountstown High, seemed interested in the presentation. After doing an event high 17 pull-ups, he looked on as his friends tried to one-up him.
“We go to all these weight lifting meets and the recruiters talk to us so yeah, it’s something I’m thinking about,” Sapp said. Others, not so much. Joshua Godwin, also a senior at Blountstown answered with a quick “no” and a laugh when asked about joining the Navy following his turn on the bar.

“It’s true, it isn’t for everyone,” said Getka. “You have to be able to swim 500 yards in under 12 minutes and 30 seconds, do 50 sit ups, six pull ups and run a mile and a half in under 11 and a half minutes. And that’s just to get a ticket to the dance. It doesn’t mean you’re ready.”

Those interested in more information on the Navy SEALS can contact Mike Getka at 1-888-6289 extension 1156.